Louis Smolka has broken his silence about his cancelled fight with Sean O’Malley.
Smolka (17-7) withdrew from his scheduled UFC 264 bout against O’Malley last week and was ultimately replaced by UFC newcomer Kris Moutinho. Over the weekend, Smolka revealed on Instagram that he was deemed “medically unfit” to compete as the result of an infection he suffered in the lead-up to UFC 264.
Smolka also expressed a desire to be re-booked against O’Malley once he’s healthy.
“It sucks, but we have to be responsible about my health and the health of my training partners and opponent,” Smolka wrote. “I understand that Sean is set to stay on the card so I wish him the best. I’m sure we will see each other down the line.
“This is a bummer, but it’s the reality of fight camps and continuous training. We are optimistic that we can get a new date set for you all when my infection clears.”
Smolka has won three of his five octagon bouts since re-signing with the UFC for his second stint in the promotion in 2018.
UFC 264 takes place July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A blockbuster trilogy match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor headlines the card.
Read Smolka’s complete message below.
I was really excited for this fight. Being from Hawai’i, I have that jus scrap mentality so if it were solely up to me, I’d still fight. But, I have an infection so unfortunately I’ve been deemed medically unfit. It sucks, but we have to be responsible about my health and the health of my training partners and opponent. I understand that Sean is set to stay on the card so I wish him the best. I’m sure we will see each other down the line.
This is a bummer, but it’s the reality of fight camps and continuous training. We are optimistic that we can get a new date set for you all when I my infection clears.
Thank you to my family, the @ufc, my managers, nutritionist, coaches, team, and the fans for the help and support. I appreciate you all very much. We are known for turning setbacks into comebacks, so that’s the plan.